The first Year

Good morning this post is going to give you a lot of information last night I thought about the fact that it's the end of 2025 and I have been here over a year and had a gazillion things happen. But what I want to do is try to put that gazillion things into one post and move on to now. I'm hoping I can get all the emotional b******* on my YouTube station live as well as everything else that's going on but that's a whole other thing. 

When I moved into this adorable little house I loved it otherwise trust me I would never have bought it but it was tough. Being alone after 25 years is not easy to say the least. I had a lot happen as you read and a lot more to happen as We Know. But I had an aha moment last year during the winter. 

I was sitting in my chair looking out my beautiful front window eating a bowl of soup and being a big baby. My thoughts at the time were    " Oh poor poor me here I sit all alone eating my little soup out of my little bowl in my little house all alone why why why?? " Within a few moments it started to snow the snow fell gracefully down onto the ground and I was in awe of the beauty and clarity of the moment. I had what some would call a spiritual moment others would call it hallucination. But in those few moments I was able to pull myself out of my martyr stage look at this beautiful snow and landscape and realize how lucky I am to be sitting here healthy and soon to be happy, joyous and free! 

It didn't take away the emotions I was going through nor did it make anything I had been through any easier. But it was a little wake up call.

Since the time I moved up here I have done so much. I've made changes to this adorable little house trying to get it back to its 1934 look. I tiled the kitchen and the stairs. I had a patio built on the back. I joined the Senior Citizen Center and began to play Mahjong again that in itself is a whole another story. I joined the gym and it's been a year and I never have gone seriously that's bad not for me physically but for my pocketbook. I've adjusted to cooking on an electric stove I'm even able to do my canning. The garage sales up here are super fabulous. I made a few acquaintances. And like a wise woman said once " You'll never make new old friends". 

In California had many friends that I really did think we're close friends why haven't they called?? But I'm finding now at this time in my life the most important thing for me to do is to allow myself to be involved in everything around me it keeps me busy and I enjoy the camaraderie and the fun I can have. If I sit around and think about what happened yesterday or project on what's going to happen tomorrow how the hell am I going to enjoy today??  

I've done a heck of a lot of gardening around this little home. And I'm proud to really call it my home. Each month I get to go and watch the local soccer team play. I've watched four distinct Seasons, learn to clear out snow from my driveway, got over the fear of driving in the snow. And lo and behold I'm reading books don't drop your drink but I even have a library card. Life is taking on a whole new Journey now and I'm hoping you can join me. I'm going to get as much of what's going on in my life in the last year into these next few months so we can start out 2026 as fresh and not posting about the past.

I did a lot of traveling this year I went to California, Texas and Tennessee.  Challenged myself to drive the coast of California as I haven't taken a long drive by myself since my car accident in 2010 yet another post.  I learned that all those people that I thought were such good friends not so much. And not because they did anything wrong they were just there and there's no doubt they were my friends. But there's also no doubt that when you move you're gone people remember you, people make nice comments about you, people miss you, but people you're gone and nobody gives a s*** except for the fact that you should be doing okay. 

And if you're waiting for people to call you get off your lazy ass pick up the phone and call them. And anything I ever say in any post is only my opinion what I think and how I feel. There is nothing definitive about it nothing saying you have to do it I just hope everything I talk about and everything I do can become a lesson for someone or possibly someone can sit and say "Oh I'm not the only one that went through that".

 Oh and I found a great AA hall up here so I'm still going to my meetings and I just took a chip this year for sit down people 38 God damn years of sobriety now there's a story. Okay so now we know that for the next couple of months I'm going to be going in and out of 2024 emotionally physically and everything else and I'm going to tell you stories about the travels I've done this year and blah blah blah have a blessed day and thank you for being

First thing ...

Good morning as you can see by the picture no ego here ! now that we have all that emotional b******* from California a little bit out of the way let's talk about what I did where I went. I took off to the beautiful PNW. Here I had my son in case as we all know once we get old we should make sure we have a dependable person, people or child that we raised and gave everything to in a pinch. Personally after two rounds of cancer and heart disease I think it's good for me to have a little backup but beyond that here's the rest of this story. 

After the whole Gunsmoke trauma I spent a lot of time looking at houses from California and the amount of houses I flew up to see I could have put it down payment on a bigger one. But there was a limited amount of things I wanted smaller yard and that was a joke after what I just bought but we haven't gotten there yet. A manageable yard let's put it in perspective down in California had nearly an acre plenty animals and gardens that would make any gardener tickled pink. But I'm going to give you a couple of pictures of this little home I got.  I wanted a fireplace, patio in the front so I can watch all the neighbors going about their business. But let's be honest I'm a nosy girl, just like when I walk I like to go just at dusk because I can look in everybody's window and see how they've decorated. oh my back to the house it was just what I needed. 

Such a funny thing here up in the PNW everybody has a basement and my basement is like a little apartment it's really pretty cool not that I would ever sleep down there. My personality means I have to be in the thick of whatever's going on including my own home who's out there? What's that noise? etc etc. It took a bit of time to find this little home but it was a great choice I have a window where all my plants gather and get their sun. 

And that patio well it didn't have one but don't think I didn't build one. Up here during the winter beyond the part that he gets cold we can all handle a little cold I had a lifetime of sunshine. But I wanted to make sure that was somewhere outside where I would have the ability to sit and do my relaxing, water coloring and eventually should it happen get a dog. 

Now here's the thing with getting a dog. Now that I'm a free bird I thought about a lot of places I want to travel and having an animal is a big responsibility. And I've had children, husbands multiple and many things that I just have to take care of. This is the first time in almost 70 years that I haven't had someone to take care of anything but myself. This is not a complaint in any way because trust me this is a change that nobody would want but I'm led to the fact that I have to accept and adjust. And during that adjustment I'm really not going to be able to give the time that's needed for a puppy. 

Now as I was looking for homes and my son helped locate this one I didn't want anything bigger than what I lived in in California which was approximately 1600 square feet. But lo and behold this one is a little larger I think because there's more room upstairs to downstairs if that makes any sense. It's that damn basement. So here are a few pictures of my little place. 

And I'm incredibly excited and incredibly sad this is going to be quite an Emotional Adventure but I'm going to make sure you enjoy every minute of it and share it with you!

And here we are 2024

Well it is 2024 and this dear year has really tried my patience. But first a bit on how the family is doing. The most important person is the Bean my granddaughter sit down this will hit you hard but she is 7 years old. SAY WHAT ! I do have to say that I believe she is going to turn out to be quite like her Yaya. More about her as we get reacquainted. 

The youngsters are doing great Heather and Chris still up in Oaktown rocking that place. Christopher has gotten promoted a few times with in the Berkley School District and Heather between mamahood and Hairdressing well she to rock that bay area. And what do you say about that little Nugget my Bean she is 7 can you believe that time has passed so quickly. I think I will blame her for my lost time off line. There you have it.

Now let us travel up PNW a big change. The  chosen one Hank and Linzie have moved to the beautiful state of Washington. The change took time but they did all their research and that was the spot. The result they are so Happy and that is what every parent want's. The have a new baby Lemmy my new Granddog and he is a hoot. I have spent time with him and that is another post of it's own. They purchased a home for a 1/4 of the price of California and why not. The state is beautiful, less political bullshit and so many wonderful things to do. I am enjoying the things I have discovered up there and will post about them all. But for now the most important thing is they are so happy.

Well it is already March and what I have been through is more than I can put into this post. But my life is about to change drastically. I do not know when, how or why .... ok I know why but that is not the point. 

You all know my other websites and I am going to try to get them into one place not a small task but one that I can do. With that Happy New Years for the last 4 plus years.

Let's Go !